"AD is more Pippen" - Doc Rivers breaks down Anthony Davis getting overshadowed playing sidekick to LeBron James
Doc Rivers believes Anthony Davis is being miscast. The veteran coach, who won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, believes that Davis is more accustomed to being a second star than a team's primary option. He said that the championship big man would rather be the most dominant defensive player on the court rather than a team's scoring leader.
Rivers, now a TV analyst, likened the LA Lakers star to Scottie Pippen due to his team-first mentality on the "KG Certified" podcast.
"AD is more Pippen, and we don't understand that," Rivers said. "AD won a national title, scoring six points. He dominated defensively. So, I actually called Cal (Kentucky coach John Calipari), and said, "What would you say to that?"
"He said, "That's who he is. He can score. He can pass. He does a lot of things great. But if you ask him who he wants to be every night, he wants to be the dominant defensive player."
Davis has been an All-Defensive first-team selection on two occasions and an All-Defensive second-team selection twice while leading the league in blocks on three occasions. There's no denying that he is an elite defensive presence on the floor. However, Davis can also be the best offensive talent throughout a game.
Anthony Davis is a legitimate two-way threat
Anthony Davis is often discussed as being a generational talent at his position. His defensive ability makes him one of the league's most fearsome rim protectors, while his scoring ability creates issues when teams try to guard him in the pick-and-roll.
However, unlike most NBA stars, Davis prefers to do his work on the defensive side of the floor. He knows the offensive touches will come his way and values the impact being the best defender can have on a team's overall game.
"No matter what I'm doing, I want to be able to leave a mark on the game defensively now," Davis told Fox Sports Melissa Rohlin in May. "And that can kinda fuel my offensive game and the team's offensive game, also fuel the defensive end for us as a collective. So, next-play mentality. Just keep going, keep playing, and the rest will take care of itself."
Davis can still be a featured scorer on a championship team. However, to get the best out of him, the LA Lakers need to put him in positions to succeed defensively. That's what gets Davis fired up. That's what brings out the superstar performer in him.
As such, as the season continues, it wouldn't be surprising to see Davis assume a bigger role on both sides of the floor because that's when he can be the true first option for Darvin Ham's team. He needs to be used like a two-way player, not just a featured scorer.